Falling Bricks
by laenamoradadeROGUE
Summary: No spoilers, no cliffhangers, no important chappies... just a bit of fun! A story of what would have happened the night before Casey went for college, two days before Derek went for college. Possible two-shot, if i reach 15 rvws
1. Falling Bricks

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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_Falling Bricks_

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3:49

That is the first thing that she saw when she woke up, seeing the digital numbers that did not belong to her bedside clock. She tried to remember what had happened the night before, but an uncalled for pain throbbed at her head and palms when she tried to remember past the bottle of vodka that he had brought up last night saying something about a going away for college celebration.

She blinked furiously a few times, but she was still sore to try and move, but she then remembered that she had to get to her room. What would they say if they found her here, wearing more jewelry than clothes? For her watch and earrings were still on. She noticed a limp arm besides her back and turned her head carefully. The posters of some bands could be seen behind a fuzz of unruly brown hair. She moved carefully, after making sure by his even breathing assured that he was still asleep. She took in the room that up until a few months ago she hated to even see from a distance, it was still unkempt like a teenager's boy should be, clothes and books lying around.

After more than enough time, she is finally able to hover over the bed carefully, her clothes back on. She watches him sleep peacefully, he looks so different without his common smirk or smug expression on his face. One arm dangles by the wrist on the floor, his mouth half open and drooling into the pillow, without his attitude he looks almost cute. Now they wouldn't see each other again until the holidays, if they decide to come.

Turning to face the door, she rolls her eyes at the female figure with a barely there bikini. To think that both of them had had so many partners during high school, but had never ever but bickered with each other. She took a first careful step, and looking down saw the bottle that he had produced last night in clear view for whoever opens the door, that needs to be moved, and disposed off as soon as possible.

Walking in the unfamiliar territory she tiptoed. _Why am I tiptoeing?_ She never did that before, she didn't even know she could, but as her body feels secure walking on the balls of her feet, she walks quickly and is turning the knob in less than a minute.

The door squeaks as she opens it. She had never noticed that before. Turning her head to be sure he still slept, she took in a deep breath. He was still. It squeaks again as she closes it, and after releasing the knob she sighs. How cliché, holding your breath while leaving a room in which you are leaving or escaping something behind. She ignores the nagging thoughts in her head and walks the hallway as if it were any other day that she had insomnia and had gone down for a glass of milk.

Once in the safety of her room, she curls in her bed, trying to make the headache go away. But she pushes past it, and gets up again. She shreds her clothes to the floor and seeks a pajama. She had never before left clothes lying around in her room, but there is a first time for everything. She goes to bed once more, but takes a pair of Tylenol from her bedside drawer and gulps them down without so much as thinking of water. Curling beneath the covers once more, she lets sleep engulf her.

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10:36

His alarm clock has been ringing for six minutes, but he has mistaken the sound for a simple incessant and annoying buzz that wouldn't go away, until he opens his eyes. That only makes his hangover headache explode even more with the blow of light that he receives. He cleans his mouth with the back of his hand and ignores the spit stain on his pillow while stretching.

Realizing that he had been expected to wake up about two hours ago, which he gratefully had not. (He considered sleeping in the best hang over recipe.) Something important occurs today, but he couldn't exactly place what that is. Graduation had been a few months back, college interviews last month, and there no longer is a job to get to since he quit two weeks ago. What was it?

Throwing the covers off himself, a hand travels to his tussled hair. He notices he fell asleep without a boxer last night and looks around his floor for one. After locating one he throws it on and leaves the room quickly to use the bathroom.

His father greets him at the door. He blinks twice to indicate he had just woken up.

"It's about time" he says.

"What?" he half yawns.

"Airport, half an hour, be ready" he says, going down the hall to pick up a very full suitcase. OH, that is the important thing: Casey leaves for University of Toronto today.

He goes to the bathroom, firstly he needs to take one long piss. He sees himself in the mirror and decides to skip shaving, but his smell… Unwillingly he takes a quick, and cold, shower. In the same boxer that he had entered with he goes to his room again, he looks around his floor for a decent looking pair of jeans and a pair of socks. After rubbing the last of his sleep from his eyes he looks for the bottle responsible of this headache for proper disposal. He usually leaves it in plain sight, but he had to check under piles of magazines and his bed to find it. After deciding he must've chucked it out the window yesterday he took a clean shirt from his closet.

He reaches the kitchen and quickly finds his cereal and fishes out a bottle of milk. He serves himself more than enough and then seeks a spoon, in the time it takes him to find it and dunk in his first spoonful, he seesw his brother and sister standing in the doorway.

"Hey, are you not going?" Eddie asks, he looks at him.

"I am too going" he replies, they both raise their eyebrows.

"Hard to believe that when you're having breakfast with everyone in the car" his sister says.

"And at this hour" his brother adds. He gives them an unamused expression and drops the spoon, assuring his bowl that he will be back soon.

The car ride is boring, he listens to metal on the back of the van, besides the large suitcase as most everyone in the car listens to their own music, except the couple of adults. Marti goes moving her head from side to side to what he assumes could only be a recent pop song. Eddie has his earplugs on and his eyes hooked on his Nintendo. Lizzie has her iPod and is watching a music video or movie. He turns to Casey, with only one earpiece on and looking at the window as if it is the first time she passes these streets. He watches her deep in thought.

That was when it hit him: the sea of black regarding last night erases itself, what was nagging on his brain since he woke suddenly . He had convinced her that something as big as this (that they wouldn't be able to nag to each other in such a long time) called for a celebration. So he produced a bottle of vodka that they finished between the two of them. And what had happened before, the talking of all their weird ex'es and so much more that they were going to miss about high school. She was valedictorian, he graduated with her (and that was saying a lot)

If she has any bit of the headache that he was barely able to put up with, she is hiding it very well. Or maybe she is not, people had always said that women can withstand pain much more than men. He didn't look at her again, because the two times after another puzzle piece from last night hit him again. He averts his gaze and takes to watching Marti's bobbing head to distract himself.

Flashback. He rubs his temple, only to bring more thoughts that he shouldn't be remembering, he shudders and tries to sleep the rest of the way to the airport.

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2:00

They are all by the gate door. She smiles at her mother that is already started crying. Hugs her sister and stepsister her goodbyes and ruffles Edwin's hair, but he was soon hugging her too. She faces Derek. He looks away for a few moments.

Brick, brick, and a few more. He couldn't stop the x-rated thoughts in his head. He sees her smiling her goodbyes to everyone. He knows better than to show some kind of affection, he didn't think that it help in a department that was growing increasingly uncomfortable.

She looks at him, plastering a smile on her face that feels awkward. She stops smiling and turns to everyone else. The big sunglasses that he is wearing does not hide the fact that he has a hang over to his parents, if anything, it makes it more obvious. But she keeps the thought to herself. But they did not even suspect about last night, if anything, they are being their usual bickering and obnoxious selves to each other.

"Well, I guess that's it!" she says with some finality to them.

_Screw it_, he thinks. _I have to do this._ He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, she is not watching him. He steps forward and hugs her, he is going to miss her. His pride would not let him sat it out loud but he knows it.

She is startled, but holds him anyways. As she has done for the rest of the family. She is facing everybody else and smiles as if startled, though she partially is. But she loves the way he's holding her just now. He breathes into her ear and she knows he is about to whisper something she does not want to hear.

"Didn't know you could handle a hang over so well." He whispers to her. Her smile changes from plastered to real.

"You do realize the glasses just make it more obvious" she responds in kind, hoping his father is bad at lip reading. Her mom is still in tears and wouldn't notice.

"Shut up" he says and squeezes her a bit harder before letting go. He stands back and looks at her. He smiles cockily to her and she grins back.

"Good luck" he says, addressing her for the first time since last night.

"You too" she says, he was, after all, leaving tomorrow.

He smirks, she rolls her eyes. His eyes travel to her lips for a few seconds. She wets her bottom lip and smiles at the whole family.

She turns; passport and boarding pass in one hand, purse on the other. She leaves smiling broadly to herself.

* * *

9:17

All the memories came. There is no longer an empty space in his head for the events of last night. He could not blame the alcohol, for he remembers every bit. Now he even remembers how he had kissed and bit a piece of skin near her collarbone. He remembers how tight she felt. He remembers the way she smiled carelessly and laughed until she cried during their flood of memories from the last three years.

He had had sex with Casey, and he was not complaining.

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Author's note: It's like a sad end, isn't it?

Would you kindly review?


	2. Withstanding

_Withstanding_

2:13

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and braced herself. She had never been fond of flying. She chewed hastily on a piece of gum trying to prevent her ears from popping, and crossed her legs simply because of custom. She felt her stomach contents move closer to her windpipe as they rose even more. She took a few more deep breaths with her eyes closed until the plane was straight ahead. She sighed.

Hey, a voice said inside her head. She ignored it, rummaging through her backpack for a short novel for the plane she had brought. Finally, with a triumphant smile she pulled it from the depths of the pack. The middle aged business lady besides her lowered her head at her before continuing to type away at her laptop. Which shouldn't be on yet, she couldn't help thinking. Nevertheless, she directed a small fake smile towards her.

This one book, she had wanted to read it for a while but had never gotten the chance with all the last minute stuff and endless forms to fill during the summer. Happily she reclined back and allowed herself to be submerged in the newest Nicholas Sparks novel. It was weird, even though she was crazily romantic and had been looking forward for this book for quite a while, she didn't feel the strong pull that a new, exciting and possibly smutty usually had on her. She tried again to get to reading but found herself not taking in the contents as usual. Unamused by this sudden turn she rummaged through her bag again to produce her iPod.

3:40

Falling asleep certainly had its ups and downs, she considered as she woke up, checking her watch. Firstly, it made flying much shorter. She pulled out the earplugs and stored away her iPod, it still had a lot of battery. She rummaged her purse for another stray piece of gum that would probably be somewhere in it, the one she had had lost its taste. She felt the novel again, and couldn't help the frown that crossed over. Why had she not been able to read the mighty book that she had looked forward too since last spring break?

But, there was the trouble of the downside of sleeping. She was thinking back of yesternight. Was it bad? It didn't feel bad... or maybe that was just the vodka talking to her. She had never ever looked at him like that. What had they both been thinking? Had they been loud? Oh god, if anyone had walked in on them... Both asleep in his bed without clothes...

She shook her head, some images that she should not have on her head were surfacing. I was drunk! She scorned herself in hopes of not remembering much, no details were neccessary. But for some reason her mind decided that this was the moment to bring back the images that she was not interested in. How many times had he ignored her because she was sullen over a break up? And what they did was laugh about all of their ex's. She thought back to the girls that went to her because she was an easy link to get him, he had always mocked the guys that she had gone out with. Reminiscing, that part wasn't bad. At all.

After storing her iPod again, she felt something in her bag that she hadn't noticed before, pulling what seemed to be a flashcard, she was surprised to see an í'll-miss-you card from Marti. Smiling to herself, she took it out carefully and opened it. Marti had drawn a picture of the rest of the family waving goodbye to her and Derek.

For a moment, her mind betrayed her and considered that they were leaving together. Shaking her head again, she smiled, thinking of innocent Marti. How Derek had touched her had not been so innocent. Shaking her head again, she considered how much she will miss her mother and everybody. Miss how he had kissed her softly.

She shook her head for the last time. She had a clear image of them collapsed on the floor laughing so much her stomach hurt. What had been so funny?

6:13

Her dorm room was okay, not too small, not so large either. Her roommate had yet to arrive, and she was glad, because that meant that she would be able to chose her own side and bed. Even though they were both exactly the same, it was nice to chose.

She decided to call her family before unpacking, leaving her baggage on her bed she went towards the phone. She waited for someone to pick up.

"Yellow?" Eddie said on the other side of the phone.

"Hey, you" Casey said to him.

"Hey!" he exclaimed on the other side. "Hey, everybody it's Ca--"

"Hey" someone took the phone right out of his grasp, pushed him slightly away and was now holding the phone.

She was not ready for that.

"Casey?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Just wanted to let you guys know i arrived okay" she said, hoping her nervous voice was not being transmitted.

"That's good" he said. She waited on the other side to see if he would say something else. After waiting for half a minute she decided that he was not going to say anything.

"So..." she said,

"So..." he mimicked.

"Mom there?" she asked. He looked over his shoulder, Eddie had gone to tell everyone. He considered how much time he had.

"Dunno" he said shortly. "Hey, listen, about..."

"CASEY!" Marti had picked up another phone.

"Marti! How are you, sweetie?" she asked the little girl. No one noticed that Derek slammed his fist silently into the wall besides him.

"Good!" the girl said in a high pitch that she had grown accustumed too.

"I found your card" she told her. "and I loved it" Casey told her.

"Shhh! Derek can't know because i haven't given him his yet!" she said loudly. Oops, Casey thought.

"Okay. Marti, is mom there?" she asked.

"One second!" she said. then covered the mouthpiece before calling loudly to their mom.

"You can't know a thing, Derek" Casey said.

"Oh, but I do remember everything, now that is" Casey opened and closed her mouth several times.

"About the card, stu-

"Hello?" just then her Mom picked up.

"Hey!" she said happily, it was good to finally be able to speak to her mom.

"Honey, how was your flight?" she asked. "Did you find your dorm okay? Have you meet your roommate?"

"Derek, hang up" Casey told him, knowing full well he was still listening in.

"Whatever" he said, but didn't hang up.

"My roommate isn't here yet, my guess she'll arrive in a few hours or tomorrow, i found my dorm okay, it's pretty close to the building where most of my classes are. Flight was so so, wasn't able to read my book, but slept a bit and found Marti's card" she said.

"That's good" Nora said sweetly to her eldest daughter. "Marti insisted on making everybody on the picture."

"That's good" her mind flashed to see Marti drawing her with Derek, but then she came back soon. "I liked it just how it was" she said, masking her real opinion.

"Case, I know you probably don't know, but George insisted I ask everybody" she said concerned. "He says a couple of his bottles of vodka have gone missing." she said. She took in a deep breath to keep from reacting. "But off course, you wouldn't know anything of it" she continued.

"No, nothing" she lied quickly.

"Ha, I knew it, now he has to ask Derek." she said. "I am sure another bottle will go missing tonight and he can't say that was you" she said.

"Huh, since when has he been missing bottles?" she asked.

"Said he checked today, but the last time he had checked was two weeks ago." she said.

"Ouch!"

"What is it, mom?" she asked.

"What?" Nora asked confused.

"Did you bump into something?" Casey asked.

"No, didn't you?" Nora asked back. Oh, shit...

As silently and he could he hung up the phone and then sat himself on the kitchen table, where one of Eddie's comic was half open. Just then, Nora came into the kitchen. She came inside and saw him, but decided that it wasn't him.

"Marti!" she called. The toddler was soon enough besides her. "Were you snooping on the phone?" she said to her.

"Mom, don't punish her because of me." she asked.

"No" Marti said, then produced her puppy dog eyes and Nora let her go.

"Wanna say hi to Derek?" Nora said, Derek looked up at the mention of him.

"No, no. It's okay, i've got to unpack anyways" she said, fidgeting with her knuckles and then decided it was time to hang up.

Back in the house, Derek was also signaling that he had no intention of talking to her either.

"Huh, well. Okay. He does not want to talk to you either, it seems" she said and walked away.

As soon as she left the kitchen, Derek went towards to pick up the phone again.

"Changed my mind" he announced on the speaker when he picked up. Ugh, no, Casey thought.

"Fine, call soon!" Nora asked of her and then hung up herself.

"What?" she asked irritably.

"Whoa, don't get snappy" he told her.

"Anything productive to say, or are you gonna so... all night long?" she asked him.

"No." he said challengingly.

"Good"· she said, then opened her suitcase while waiting for him to say whatever it was he wanted to say but she didn't want to hear. Derek considered his words carefully.

"So..." he started. Casey sighed at the other end. "Okay! I just wanted to say sorry." he said.

"So- sorry?" she said, baffled.

"Um, yeah, for thinking you were talking about last night and not about her card." he said. Stupid, he thought.

"Oh. Right. That." Since when had she been so inarticulate?

"Yeah, that" he said. "And about last night..."

"Shut up" she said.

"Excuse me?" he said.

"Whose there?" she asked.

"Hi Casey!" George said jovially to her.

"Hey George. How's everything?" she said.

"Good, good. Derek's leaving tomorrow." he said proudly. Derek sighed on the other side of the phone, seemed like he would have to wait... again.

"Yeah, he was just telling me that he was making sure he had everything ready tonight." she said, hating herself for lying.

"Yeah, I was" Derek piped in.

"Oh, okay" George said. "Well, I'll leave you kids" he said. He hung up again.

"Case?" Derek said.

"Look, I don't think it's a good idea to talk about it like this," she said cautiously.

"Oh, okay, I'll just drop by tomorrow" he responded sarcastically.

"How about you send me an email with whatever it is you need to say?" she said exasperately. She had had enough him not saying anything.

"Sure, whatever" he said, feeling a bit lame.

"Good. Have a good flight tomorrow." she told him and was about to hang up.

"So... did you have a nice dream during the flight?" he said. She opened her mouth in disgust to tell him anything to shut him off.

Instead, she hung up.

"Casey?... Casey?" he said as he started to hear the hung up tone. "Shit" he said and redialled.

She saw the phone, but ignored it and went to unpacking. Her shirts on one side, her underwear was aside in a bag inside a bag. Her pants, her socks. Soon enough everything was out, and it was easy to store things that way. The phone kept ringing.

9:51

The phone had been ringing about every half an hour until nine, he was probably not calling any longer. Her roommate did not show. She closed her eyes and did not see any images about last night. Content, at least while conscious, that it wasn't bothering her so. She drifted off to sleep. Or rather, she tried. Just then, the door opened.

"Jueputa mierda" somebody said. She had her eyes open and saw another girl, with a popped baggage and a handbag. She noticed Casey and smiled an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, missed a plane and my baggage went missing" she told Casey. "Um, i know it's kinda late, but i'll try to be silent" she said. Casey then rolled over in her bed. The other girl took off the tape from her bag and started to organize everything in the other side that was empty. After pulling all her clothes out, some books that were at the back, and a small pillow, she rolled her luggage to under her bed. She was not even tired because of jetlag.

She was putting her clothes on the other side of the closet when the phone rang.

"Alo?" she said.

"Casey, about time you pick up" a guy on the other side said.

"Sorry to disappoint you, guapo. I'm Nadia" she told him.

"Um, sorry. Are you Casey's roommate?" he asked.

"I guess so, she's asleep though" she told him.

"Oh, can you wake her?" he asked her.

"And who might you be? Her boyfriend?" Derek swallowed nothing.

"No, her stepbrother" he said.

"Oh, that sounds naughty" she said, sitting on the edge of her bed with her other bag and moving most of its contents to the bedside table.

"Har har. Just wake her please." he requested.

"Would love to, guapo. But you see, I only take messages. I'll tell her tomorrow you called, Derek" she said sweetly, and hung up.

"Thank you" Casey said. She had been signaling the girl during the duration of the phone call.

"You're welcome. Now, if i might ask, why don't you wanna talk to your boyfriend, or brother, or stepbrother or whatever he is" Nadia asked Casey.

"Um, we kinda left awkwardly" she said feeling odd about it.

"Oh... so he can't be your boyfriend? Is that the case?" Casey rubbed some sleep out of her eyes before addressing the girl.

"Dunno, never considered it." she told him. Just then the phone rang again.

"Alo?" Nadia said again.

"Nadia" Derek was silent for half a minute trying to remember.

"This is she" she said enjoying it too much.

"Can you do me the biggest favor and wake up Casey?" he asked, trying a different approach.

"Guapo, I already said no. Plus, Casey says she doesn't want to talk to you. Deal with it" she said and hung up again.

"Thank you so very much" Casey said, plopping down on the mattress again.

"Hum, you look just as tired as I do," Nadia told her.

"Yawn, yeah, good night. Thanks again" Casey responded as she was falling asleep again. Nadia got herself tucked into bed again.

"Just like my sister" she yawned to herself, and soon enough she was asleep too.

1:11

Casey woke up with a start. She held her hand to her chest. She had been imagining things again. Or had she? She looked around and saw her new rommmate, not her room, not Derek's either (thankfully). She shortly decided that she would not think again about last night so long as she could, there ought to be more than enough sexy guys (not that she considered Derek sexy) on campus to flirt with tomorrow, er, today.

1:11:10

Derek woke with a start. He had been dreaming about last night again. Rolling over in his bed he realized that was going to be one long, hard night. He tried to fall asleep again. He needed to rest, and he could not go get another bottle of vodka since he knew that his father was now checking his stash of liqueors. Why did he have to chose tonight to be restless? He turned again, and as he closed his eyes, another image of Casey lying in his bed in with his, or rolling with laughter while certainly lightheaded from the vodka. It was wrong to think of her like like this! Stupid and wrong, but oh so good. He clenched his eyes shut one last time in an attempt to forget, and soon realized that it had not been bad at all. He checked his clock. Was this the make-a-wish time? 1:11 or was it 11:11? Wishing that Casey would hear him out and be reasonable he drifted off to sleep again, knowing full well he would be trashing awake in his bed in less than an hour.

So... so... I made it a two shot. Hope you guys enjoyed it.

fyi: jueputa mierda is roughly translated as sonofa... shit, and yeah, my oc had to be latina, sorry!

AN: i had fun with this chapter, not as much as with the first one, but you guys were right about making it a two shot! hope you liked the way they are both dancing around the issue and not addressing the problem, if you think there is one.

thanks for reading! and i hope you'll review so i can improve!


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